Prices as of 2026/10/30 close
Company comparison · Soft Drinks & Probiotic Drinks
Yakult is the bigger company, with revenue of ¥486.4B — 9.2x LIFEDRINK's ¥52.7B.
LIFEDRINK earns more on each yen of sales, with an operating margin of 10.1% — 0.8 points above Yakult (9.3%).
Revenue growth in the latest results: LIFEDRINK +18.2%, Yakult −2.7%. For next year, LIFEDRINK guides for the fastest operating profit growth (+22.0%).
Yakult pays more on average — ¥8.55M against ¥5.09M at LIFEDRINK.
Over the past year the shares moved Yakult +20.4%, LIFEDRINK −41.8%.
Head-to-head wins14 metrics
One win per metric for the company with the best value. Metrics with no better or worse (P/E, average age, employees) are excluded.
ScaleInvestors
Yakult aheadYakult 3 : LIFEDRINK 0
Revenue: Yakult ¥486.4B / LIFEDRINK ¥52.7B
ProfitabilityInvestors
Yakult aheadYakult 2 : LIFEDRINK 1
Operating margin: Yakult 9.3% / LIFEDRINK 10.1%
GrowthInvestors
LIFEDRINK aheadYakult 0 : LIFEDRINK 4
Revenue growth (YoY): Yakult −2.7% / LIFEDRINK +18.2%
Stock & balance sheetInvestors
Yakult aheadYakult 2 : LIFEDRINK 0
Share price, 1 year: Yakult +20.4% / LIFEDRINK −41.8%
Pay & workforceJob seekers
Yakult aheadYakult 2 : LIFEDRINK 0
Average salary: Yakult ¥8.55M / LIFEDRINK ¥5.09M
| Metric | Yakult | LIFEDRINK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | ◎¥486.4B | ¥52.7B | 9.2x |
| Operating profit | ◎¥45.2B | ¥5.3B | 8.5x |
| Net income | ◎¥44.2B | ¥3.5B | 12.8x |
| Metric | Yakult | LIFEDRINK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 9.3% | ◎10.1% | 0.8pt |
| Net margin | ◎9.1% | 6.6% | 2.5pt |
| ROE | — | 22.6% | |
| Revenue per employee | ◎¥167M | ¥89M | 1.9x |
| Metric | Yakult | LIFEDRINK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | −2.7% | ◎+18.2% | 20.9pt |
| Operating profit growth (YoY) | −18.4% | ◎+12.3% | 30.7pt |
| Revenue CAGRlast 5 years | +4.7% | — | |
| Guidance: revenue growthnext FY plan | +8.3% | ◎+36.7% | 28.4pt |
| Guidance: op. profit growthnext FY plan | −2.6% | ◎+22.0% | 24.7pt |
| Metric | Yakult | LIFEDRINK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Share price, 1 year | ◎+20.4% | −41.8% | 62.2pt |
| Share price, 3 months | ◎−4.0% | −20.7% | 16.7pt |
| P/E (trailing)lower = cheaper | — | 17.8x | |
| Equity ratio | — | 35.0% | |
| Share price (close) | ¥2,787 | ¥1,185 |
◎ marks the best value for each metric. Revenue and profit are from the latest full-year earnings release; share prices are closing-price references; P/E = latest close ÷ trailing EPS. For banks and some other financials, revenue means ordinary income.
| Metric | Yakult | LIFEDRINK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average salary | ◎¥8.55M | ¥5.09M | ¥3.46M |
| Starting salary (monthly) | ¥264,000 | — | |
| Average tenure | ◎17.7 yrs | 5.6 yrs | 12.1 |
| Average age | 41.7 | 38.4 | 3.3 |
| Employees | 2,912 | 593 | 4.9x |
Average salary is for the reporting (parent) company and is affected by average age and job mix. Holding companies with few employees are left out of the salary comparison.
Close (Oct 30, 2026)
¥2,787+20.4% (1Y)
Yakult +20.4% over 1Y. Compared: LIFEDRINK -41.8%.
Reference chart of daily closing prices, not real-time quotes (split-adjusted; weekly closes before the last year). Each line shows the % change from the start of the period. Updated Oct 30, 2026.
Yakult2 segments
LIFEDRINK1 segments
AAverage annual salary from the securities filings: Yakult ¥8.55M, LIFEDRINK ¥5.09M. Yakult pays the most. Averages also depend on staff age and job mix, so check the average age too (Yakult 41.7, LIFEDRINK 38.4).
ARevenue in the latest results: Yakult ¥486.4B, LIFEDRINK ¥52.7B. Yakult is the bigger company, with revenue of ¥486.4B — 9.2x LIFEDRINK's ¥52.7B.
AOperating margins: LIFEDRINK 10.1%, Yakult 9.3%. LIFEDRINK turns the highest share of sales into operating profit.
AShare price change over the past year (closing prices, for reference): Yakult +20.4%, LIFEDRINK −41.8%. Yakult has risen the most.
Comparing 2 companies (up to 4)
Sources: earnings releases (kessan tanshin), annual securities reports and other public information. Share prices are closing-price references, not real-time. Our data may contain errors; investment decisions are your own responsibility.
